Lights Out in the Reptile House

Karel Roeder, an inconspicuous member of a contemporary police state, faces danger after government forces claim the zoo where he works, his father disappears and his love interest becomes intolerant of the repressive regime. ``Gruesome scenes of physical torture add credibility to this nightmarish, politically charged novel in the tradition of George Orwell's 1984 ,'' said PW. (Dec.)